No longer an agent of the Crown, Luke Macalister doesn’t know who he is outside the clandestine world he spent the better part of a decade in. When he is awarded an earldom for something he didn’t do, he sees only a future of boredom and responsibility as the new Earl of Kenswick, a future he is desperate to escape.The daughter of the late Baron Kenswick, Miss Vivian Burke despises everything … everything about the new earl she’s never met. That he turns out to be handsome and charming, and incapable of taking anything seriously, does not elevate him in her opinion. Until he offers her a deal—he will hand over the deed to her childhood home in exchange for a six-month marriage of convenience. To save herself and her mother, she has no choice but to say yes.
Their plans of a boring six months in London are soon derailed as Luke’s life as a spy catches up to him and he’s left with no choice but to trust his new wife.
Armed with only a diary and a signet ring, Luke and Vivian race against treasonous forces to save a life, to save England, and if they’re lucky enough, they just might save each other and find love along the way.
more
1816 Herefordshire, England
From the very first page, I was enthralled and it only got better! To say the hero made an unexpected entrance is putting it mildly! Miss Vivian Burke and her mother, Margaret, Baroness Kenswick were living in the groundskeepers cottage of there once estate, because that was all that was left at Kenswick Abbey. It had burned to the ground a couple of years ago and claimed her father and it was just her and her mother left. They had gotten word that the Abbey had been left to a new named owner, Lord Luke, Earl of Kenswick and as I said, he finally made a grand entrance.. or should I say muddy!
The journey started quickly because Luke was an agent for the Crown, but the King had awarded him the title and estate and expected him to retire, marry and start his family. The solution was for Vivian to marry him and they live together for six months then she could come back to the abbey, which he would restore, and she could live her life out with her mother if that is what she wanted.
Wow.. The author has an amazing gift for descriptions and making the characters and surroundings come alive. I truly could not stop one I started and it was a whirlwind with such a great storyline!
Danger, intrigue, a very strong heroine and a humorous swoon worthy hero who just needed to find his place outside of being an agent. A nonstop adventure that will leave you only wanting more from this author!
Not Your Typical Regency, But in a Good Way!
This was definitely different from the Regency I was expecting! But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like it when writers surprise me. The cover looks like one that would be on any Regency, though perhaps they look a little more smiley and happy than is typical. But what we have inside is a Regency suspense, almost a thriller at times. It starts off as almost any other Regency, although perhaps a little more humorously as the newly minted earl is thrown from his horse into a bog and perhaps would have stayed mired there for some time without the heroine’s instruction for how to best emerge from the muck without sinking deeper. As often happens in these books, they feel a physical attraction nearly right away, but she cannot like him because of who he is and what he represents. She and her baroness mother have fallen on very hard times after the death of her father and her brothers as well as the fire that nearly destroyed their home. The earl proposes that they have a marriage of convenience to help them both out of tricky spots. They would only need to act as man and wife for 6 months, and he would give her an income and her family home free and clear. Even though she doesn’t like him, she decides to do so for her mother’s sake.
Things rapidly change on multiple fronts, the romance as well as the intrigue and danger. After a certain point, the action became almost nonstop as they learn to work together. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is a delightful ride and an adventure. I loved the heroine, as she was strong and smart but also understood her limitations. I did have one issue with her character, though. Even before the grand adventure started, she seemed a little too worldly for what should have been a relatively sheltered Regency young woman. Are some of her thoughts just didn’t ring true for me for how a Regency maiden should think; some of her thoughts were not as innocent as she should have been. I liked the hero. He is definitely a good man who has been feeling at sixes and sevens because he is not ready to be retired from his career in espionage. Despite his job, he has retained a sense of humor well, giving the appearance of being far more shallow than he truly is. A very unusual Regency romance because of the level of suspense and intrigue, but a very well done one at that.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This is my first time reading a book by Erica Taylor and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised! This is of course a romance, but it also has a good dose of intrigue and adventure which I had a lot of fun reading! There were many unexpected plot twists and I thoroughly enjoyed the story all the way through. Ms. Taylor did an excellent job with descriptions and I could truly “see” what was happening in my mind’s eye. The characters were well defined and I enjoyed getting to know them through the course of the story. I’m looking forward to reading another by this talented author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is definitely Erica Taylor’s best book to date, building on the previous books in her Macalisters series to bring us her sexiest hero to date. This book is a mix of romance, history and suspense in a fun, pacy read.
Book five in The Macalisters series a well written story and the first book I have read in this series, I will be reading the rest of the books. This is a new Author to me. This is Luke Macalister an ex agent of the Crown who becomes the new Earl of Kenswick which was Miss Vivian Burke and her Mother’s home before her father died. Luke offers her a deal—he will hand over the deed to her childhood home in exchange for a six-month marriage of convenience. The story gets really interesting after that. I enjoyed reading this story. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Spy’s Convenient Bride by Erica Taylor. This is book 5 in The Macalisters Series. This is the story of Vivian Burke and Luke Macalister. This can be a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Luke has been awarded the title of the Earl of Kenswick. Luke who was a spy doesn’t know what to do or think with this new title at first. Vivian father was the Baron Kenswick who has since past leaving her and her mother. Vivian doesn’t have good thoughts or feeling for the new Earl and it only changes slightly when she see how handsome. Vivian and her mother have been living without a home since it burned down killing her father. They have been making due with house on the property. Luke strikes a bargain with Vivian that if she plays his pretend wife for a about six months he will see that they have a home. Of course knowing goes as plan because Luke’s dangerous past comes back and it sets Vivian and him off on a path of adventures. Loved their story.
Series: The Macalisters #5
Publication Date: 2/4/20
Number of Pages: 385
I have read three of the five books in this series and have enjoyed each of them. I enjoy the author’s writing style and the stories are well-plotted, interesting, and fast-paced. The characters are always well-developed and fleshed out. All of the books I have read so far could easily have been 5-star reads except for the very modern terminology, phraseology, and conversation-style which just drags me right out of the story. It isn’t that those things aren’t well-written and entertaining, it is just so inappropriate for the time that it jars me from the story.
I loved the first meeting between Luke Macalister, Earl of Kenswick, and Vivian Burke. As first meetings go, this one was quite entertaining. Vivian had no clue who Luke really was and felt very free to delight in his misfortune – and she felt free to share her unfavorable opinion of the new Earl of Kenswick. Vivian and her mother were living in dire circumstances in the groundskeeper’s cottage near the ruined hulk of their family home, Kenswick Abbey. They had been there for several years, caring for themselves and growing as much as they could of their own food – quite a come-down for the wife and daughter of a Baron.
Luke is a haunted man who is currently twisting in the wind. He was given an earldom he didn’t want and didn’t feel he deserved and at the same time, his vocation was taken from him. He absolutely had to get back his employment – he didn’t know how to do or be anything else. He had a plan – well, he sort of had a plan – and when he met Vivian, things coalesced and he knew how to make it work. He’d marry Vivian, give her the Abbey, get the earldom running and convince the Prince Regent to let him back into the spy business. All he’d ask of her is six months. They would act the happy couple for that time, then he’d be off spying again and she’d have her beloved Abbey.
Vivian agrees to his terms, but then, his cousin and former partner, Redley Ralston, Earl of Longfield, is accused of being a traitor and everything is turned on its head. Luke knows it isn’t true, but his former colleagues won’t help him prove it, so it is up to Luke and Vivian to clear Redley’s name. Their journey is filled with twists-and-turns, unexpected allies, and unexpected enemies. Some twists you’ll expect, others you won’t.
I loved Vivian’s quiet, steely strength. She was never filled with angst (thank goodness), always quietly confident and competent, and skilled in things she never knew would be useful. Luke was a wonderful character and I really liked him a lot. He was resolute in his belief in Redley and he treated Vivian with such admirable respect for her intelligence and abilities.
I liked the ending, but I think this is one of those books that could have reaped many benefits from having an Epilogue to finish out some things. For instance, maybe set it a year (or more) into the future where we could see how their marriage was going and how Luke is adapting to not being a spy (or is he still a spy?), maybe they are expecting, etc. Most importantly, to me, what of Vivian’s mother? I worried about her throughout the entire book. I couldn’t believe they’d just gone off and left her. Did they not leave her any money? Did they not find somebody to help her before they left? Is she now happily ensconced in the Abbey? I just felt as if that was left hanging.
This was a fun, entertaining, and interesting read and think you’ll enjoy it – especially if the modern turn-of-phrase, social interaction style, and wording don’t bother you.